Marsh rabbit
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The marsh rabbit (''Sylvilagus palustris'') is a small
cottontail rabbit Cottontail rabbits are in the ''Sylvilagus'' genus, which is in the family Leporidae. They are found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characterist ...
found in marshes and swamps of coastal regions of the Eastern and Southern United States. It is a strong swimmer and found only near regions of water. It is similar in appearance to the
eastern cottontail The eastern cottontail (''Sylvilagus floridanus'') is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is the most common rabbit species in North America. Distribution The eastern cottontail can be found in meadows and shrub ...
(''Sylvilagus floridanus'') but is characterized by smaller ears, legs, and tail.


Taxonomy and etymology

The scientific name ''Sylvilagus palustris'' derives from a combination of the Latin words ''silva'' ("forest") and ''lagos'' ("hare"), plus ''palustris'' ("of the marsh").Archibald William Smith The marsh rabbit has commonly been associated with the group of swamp rabbits; however, this name is not a synonym and should not be confused with the larger swamp rabbit ''(Sylvilagus aquaticus)'' of Alabama through Texas. Marsh rabbits have also often been referred to as ''marsh hares''.


Phylogeny

In the subgenus ''Tapeti'' in the genus ''
Sylvilagus Cottontail rabbits are in the ''Sylvilagus'' genus, which is in the family Leporidae. They are found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characteris ...
'', marsh rabbits and swamp rabbits share a chromosomal karyotype derived from a common ancestor and have a diploid number of 2n=38. Molecular data analysis from sequencing the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene confirms that ''S. palustris'' and ''S. aquaticus'' are sister taxa under their subgenus. Since this gene evolves very slowly in most organisms, it is very useful in determining genetic origins of closely related species.


Subspecies

Three subspecies of ''Sylvilagus palustris'' have been identified: *Carolina marsh rabbit ''(Sylvilagus palustris palustris)'' – nominate subspecies; marsh rabbit of mainland regions *Florida marsh rabbit ''(Sylvilagus palustris paludicola)'' – smaller rabbit confined to the peninsular regions of Florida. *Lower Keys marsh rabbit ''( Sylvilagus palustris hefneri)'' – classified as an endangered species.


Characteristics

Marsh rabbits display a blackish brown or dark reddish dorsal surface. The belly is a dingy brownish gray in most but can also have a dull white appearance in mainland rabbits. The leading edges of the ears display small black tufts with ochre on the inside. rough hair on the dorsal side can be fringed with black hairs. The black portions of the upper parts often change to a dull grayish buff in spring and summer months, returning to a reddish or ochre color in fall, followed by darker black in the winter. Rabbits of peninsular Florida typically display darker and redder colors with a cinnamon-rufous nape, feet, and legs. Juveniles display much darker and duller colors than adults. Marsh rabbits are typically smaller than eastern cottontail rabbits. Adults from the Florida peninsula weigh approximately with a total length upwards of . Adults from the mainland regions typically grow larger, weighing up to and reaching more than in length. The hind feet of the average mainland marsh rabbit is also larger, at compared with for the typical specimen of the Florida peninsula. One feature that distinguishes marsh rabbits from swamp rabbits and cottontails is that the underside of the tail is almost never white but more brownish gray. Another curious feature observed in specimens from southern Florida is
melanism Melanism is the congenital excess of melanin in an organism resulting in dark pigment. Pseudomelanism, also called abundism, is another variant of pigmentation, identifiable by dark spots or enlarged stripes, which cover a large part of the bod ...
. These individuals exhibit completely black phenotypic coloration that does not change seasonally. The short ears and legs of a marsh rabbit are much smaller than that of a swamp rabbit. The tail is also much reduced from the bushy tail seen in cottontails.


Habitat and distribution

The mainland marsh rabbit ''(S. p. palustris)'' ranges from the Dismal Swamp, Virginia, along the eastern coast to northern sections of Florida and through the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...
into
Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...
, Alabama. It occupies coastal lowland areas, swamps, and rivers and is rarely found more than forty miles from the coast. The Florida marsh rabbit ''(S. p. paludicola),'' occupies the peninsular region of Florida, from south of the
Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...
to the upper Keys. There is a region north of
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
along the east coast where this subspecies is not found. The endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit ''(S. p. hefneri),'' is only found in the southern Florida Keys. The marsh rabbit commonly inhabits brackish and freshwater marshes, mainly of cattails and cypress. In southern Florida, they commonly occupy sandy islands and
mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangrove trees cannot withs ...
s. They are strictly limited to regions with ready access to water, unlike most rabbits. Often, they will enter tidal marshes, but remain near high ground for protection. Normal hiding spots include dense thickets of magnolia, blackgum (''
Nyssa sylvatica ''Nyssa sylvatica'', commonly known as tupelo, black tupelo, black gum or sour gum, is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to eastern North America from the coastal Northeastern United States and southern Ontario south to central Florida and ea ...
''), sweetgum (''
Liquidambar styraciflua ''Liquidambar styraciflua'', commonly known as the American sweetgum among other names, is a deciduous tree in the genus ''Liquidambar'' native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central A ...
''), briers, and cattails.


Ecology and behavior

Marsh rabbits are most active nocturnally; they spend most of the daylight hours resting in hidden areas. Frequent hiding spots include dense thickets, hollow logs, and stands of cattails and grasses. They have also been known to take advantage of the abandoned burrows of other animals. Marsh rabbits frequently make runway trails in dense vegetation along marsh edges. These trails can be identified easily as the rabbits mark active runways with fecal pellets. One very distinguishing habit of marsh rabbits is that they walk on all fours, placing each foot down alternately like a cat. Although they can hop like all rabbits, they are more agile in dense vegetation with this walking tendency. This smaller
gait Gait is the pattern of Motion (physics), movement of the limb (anatomy), limbs of animals, including Gait (human), humans, during Animal locomotion, locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on s ...
has been measured at 3.5-6.5 in (8.9-16.5 cm) between steps. The major characteristic of the footprint pattern not seen in other rabbits is widely spread toes. Marsh rabbits are more aquatic than swamp rabbits as they are not known to inhabit forests. They take to water readily and are excellent swimmers. To aid in swimming, the hind legs have less fur and longer nails than typical cottontails. When not concealed in dense thickets, the rabbits will stay submerged in muddy water with only their eyes and noses exposed and ears laid back flat. When they have been spotted, they will readily take to water and swim quickly to a new hiding spot or floating vegetation. Because marsh rabbits possess very short hind legs, they typically rely on doubling and turning when running to evade predators. This often leads to easy capture by dogs. When flushed out of hiding spots, they may squeal as they escape. Birds of prey such as the
great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...
and
northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost United States, USA. The northern ...
or marsh hawk are the major predators of the rabbits. Other predators include alligators, snakes, bobcats, foxes, and coyotes.


Reproduction

Breeding in marsh rabbits occurs year-round. Typical brood sizes are 2 to 4 young with a
gestation period In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a fertilized zygote implants in the female's uterus, and ends once i ...
of 30 to 37 days. Adult females produce up to 6 litters per year with an average annual production of 15 to 20 young. Nests are built from rushes, grasses, and leaves. The well-covered nest is lined with hair from the adult rabbits. They are often found in dense thickets or swampy places completely surrounded by water for protection.


Diet

Marsh rabbits are strictly
herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...
. Typically, they feed on leaves and bulbs of marsh plants including cattails, brushes, and grasses. They can also feed on other aquatic or marsh plants such as centella, greenbrier vine, marsh pennywort, water hyacinth, wild potato, and amaryllis. Marsh rabbits, like all rabbits, reingest their food, a practice known as
coprophagy Coprophagia ( ) or coprophagy ( ) is the consumption of feces. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek "feces" and "to eat". Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces-eating, including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of o ...
. Rabbits excrete both hard and soft fecal pellets. These soft pellets, known as cecal pellets, are quickly eaten to be redigested and remove further nutrients. Since rabbits lack a crop displayed in
ruminant Ruminants are herbivorous grazing or browsing artiodactyls belonging to the suborder Ruminantia that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microb ...
s such as cows and sheep, this process is an alternative method for extracting more nutrients from partially digested plant material.


Interaction with humans

In regions of the South, marsh rabbits are regularly hunted along with swamp rabbits by burning large patches of dried grass to flush them out. In some states, the marsh rabbit is considered a game animal and is regulated by the
Department of Natural Resources This article lists subnational environmental agencies in the United States, by state. Agencies that are responsible for state-level regulating, monitoring, managing, and protecting environmental and public health concerns. The exact duties of ...
. For example, South Carolina establishes a hunting season from November 27 to March 2 with a 5 rabbit per day bag limit. In Virginia, marsh rabbit hunting is managed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. With their diet of mainly aquatic plants, marsh rabbits are considered minor agricultural pests to most economically viable crops. In southern Florida, however, they are considered major pests of
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
fields.


Cultural references

In Georgia, the marsh rabbit is known as ''pontoon''. In Alabama, swamp rabbits (or ''cane-cutters'') are often mistaken for marsh rabbits. In many regions of the Eastern US where it is served in restaurants, "marsh rabbit" is actually a euphemism for
muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...
meat. True marsh rabbit meat is often prepared as a stew, or it may be marinated, covered in flour, and fried.


Conservation

The marsh rabbit as a species is considered "abundant" throughout its range, though the Lower Keys marsh rabbit subspecies is classified as an endangered species, having been listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as such since 1990. In the southern parts of
Everglades National Park Everglades National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that protects the southern twenty percent of the original Everglades in Florida. The park is the largest tropical wilderness in the Un ...
, the marsh rabbit has disappeared due to predation by the
Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian pyth ...
, an
invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
. Populations in Georgia appear to be declining based on studies of
roadkill Roadkill is a wild animal that has been killed by collision with motor vehicles. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) have increasingly been the topic of academic research to understand the causes, and how they can be mitigated. History Essenti ...
deaths. As of 2019, the
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
(IUCN) lists the marsh rabbit as a
least-concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q138169 Sylvilagus Endemic mammals of the United States Fauna of the Southeastern United States Mammals described in 1837 Taxa named by John Bachman Articles containing video clips